Cruise Industry News highlights some of the key transactions and developments in the secondhand cruise ship market recently

For a complete overview of the market, see the new Secondhand Market Report from Cruise Industry News.

Sirena
Company: Oceania Cruises
Capacity: 684 guests
Tonnage: 30,227
Year built: 1999
Move: Sold to an undisclosed buyer
Date: July 2026

As part of efforts to reshape its luxury portfolio, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced plans to sell the Sirena in late July.

While a buyer was not named, the company said it had entered into a binding memorandum of agreement to sell the 1999-built ship, with a leaseback keeping it in service through spring 2028.

Villa Vie Legacy
Company: Villa Vie Residences
Capacity: TBD
Tonnage: TBD
Year built: TBD
Move: To become Villa Vie’s second ship starting in early 2029
Date: July 2026

Villa Vie Residences announced plans to add a second ship to its fleet in early 2029 with the debut of the Villa Vie Legacy.

While further details of the vessel are set to be revealed later this year, renderings show what seems to be one of the S-class ships. The series includes four 55,000-ton vessels originally built for Holland America at Fincantieri in the 1990s, including the former Veendam, which has been sitting in limbo in Greece since 2020.

American Empress
Company: American Cruise Lines
Capacity: 223 guests
Tonnage: 5,975
Year built: 2003
Move: Being scrapped in Alaska
Date: November 2025

Acquired by American Cruise Lines at an auction in 2024, the American Empress is being scrapped in Alaska.

According to local sources, the process started in late 2025 and will see the hull of the former American Queen Voyages riverboat repurposed as a floating dock in Wrangell.

Knyaz Vladimir
Company: Black Sea Cruises/Rosmorport
Capacity: 765 guests
Tonnage: 15,000
Year built: 1971
Move: Reportedly sold to Razvitie Goroda LLC
Date: March 2026

Black Sea Cruises is looking into disposing of its 1971-built vessel, the Knyaz Vladimir. Acquired by the state-owned Russian company in 2017, the former Azur was reportedly sold to Razvitie Goroda LLC earlier this year, but the sale has yet to be confirmed.

Originally built as a cruise ferry, the 15,000-ton vessel sailed for a range of cruise lines during its five-decade career, including Chandris, Festival and Mano.

Former Viking Sun
Company: China Merchants Viking Cruises
Capacity: 930 guests
Tonnage: 47,000
Year built: 2017
Move: Sold to Tianjin Dingchi Leasing and transferred back to Viking’s fleet
Date: March 2026

The former Viking Sun returned to Viking’s main fleet earlier this year after being sold to Tianjin Dingchi Leasing for a reported $420 million.

After spending five years in Asia as part of a joint venture between China Merchants and Viking, the 930-guest vessel is now set to offer cruises in the Mediterranean for the Chinese market